Comparative Advertising: What Have We Learned in Two Decades?

A discussion of comparative advertising (where brands are advertised through directly comparing against/attacking other brands).

Comparative Advertising: What Have We Learned in Two Decades?

Thomas E Barry

A recent advertisement carries the following headline:

Comparing a used Dodge Spirit to a new Honda Accord seemed a little ridiculous. Until we saw the results.

To many practitioners and academics, comparative advertising is ridiculous; to others, it is a very effective means of competing in the marketing communication war. During the last 20 years, advertisers have increasingly used the comparative advertising format to more directly attack competitive brands in the marketplace. The underlying premise of comparative advertising stems from...

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